Best of you
by Psy t r a n c e
Summary: REPOSTED! Because at the end of the day...he never did. HitsugayaxHinamori. Rated for language.


A/N: Hey everyone! Well since my account has been reactivated coughcough I decided to repost my first ever Bleach fan fiction with a few alterations to the previous post which didn't show up before! Please review, and don't be too harsh, this was my first fic!

Okay then start the story!

**Best of you:**

Toushirou dropped his gaze, sullen-faced, forcing his gaze to click to something else. "Forget it, Histugaya-taichou" a voiceless whisper drifted over his ears, playing over and over again like a stuck record every time someone passed him. But he couldn't forget it. He couldn't bloody forget it. HE COULDN'T FUCKING FORGET IT.

He stared down at the comatose Hinamori Momo. Bandages twirled all over and around her frail body, a breathing mask to ensure she didn't give up on life.

Because she gave up on him. He couldn't protect her. He had failed. That was why he _couldn't_ forget…

---

"Rough day?" Hitsugaya looked up from his hands. Matsumoto stood before him, smiling, holding two mugs of steaming tea. Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow, Matsumoto's smile widened. "Does it look like I have time for a break, Matsumoto?" the green-eyed boy gestured to the leaning tower of paperwork next to him. "Oh, I just figured maybe you wanted a little break, you've been working non-stop these days" her smile dropped sadly.

Hitsugaya lifted a hand to run through his hair, but stopped short, and clutched his shoulder with his other hand. "Ah," he grunted, feeling the extreme pull of stiff muscles.

He glanced up at his vice-captain; she fought back a smirk, holding out his steaming mug.

Hitsugaya growled. Damn Matsumoto...

Rangiku stared over her mug at her taichou, sitting back, one arm draped over the couch, closing his eyes and succumbing to some relaxation. _He's so young, yet so…drained_. Rangiku took another small sip. _He didn't deserve this, not one bit of it… _ Rangiku's lip quivered at those thoughts, a flash of whittling white hair through her mind. Hitsugaya, sensing his fuku-taichou's tension, opened his eyes. "What's wrong Matsumoto?" he asked lazily, looking cross-eyed down on her. Rangiku shook off all thoughts of… him… from her.

"Nothing taichou." Hitsugaya nodded, taking a long sip of his tea, staring out the window.

_Here comes the rain again… _

Matsumoto noticed the glassy expression on the child's face.

She understood him. They may have been very different, but she understood him.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, you should rest, I can do those paperwork for you." She offered, gazing at the rings under his eyes. "I'm fine Matsumoto." He replied, taking another sip as though used to saying it all the time. "You're not well."

"I'm fine." He replied a little more harshly now.

"I don't just mean physically."

Hitsugaya blinked, still looking out the window, not having looked at her once. Rain now patted gently against the window pane. Rangiku became frustrated, slamming down her mug "Momo...Momo wouldn't like you to be like this!" Hitsugaya's green eyes snapped to meet her sky blue ones, mouth tightly shut and she knew she had overstepped a border.

"I'm, I'm sorry taichou" she lowered her head from his burning green eyes "I didn't think."

When she didn't receive a reply, she looked up hesitantly. Her captain was hunched, running his hands through his hair, as though trying to calm himself. "How can you be so right?" he looked up at her "Why is it everyone knows everything about Hinamori except me? I couldn't take care of her, I-I can't do this anymore, I need-I need… " he shook his head; he was panicking, long overdue. He didn't mean to make a scene, but…his heart was breaking.

He felt slender arms close around him. "You've been ignoring this pain from day one." She whispered to him. Hitsugaya involuntarily fell into her embrace, trembling. "Damn you Matsumoto" he said, his voice cracking mid-way "Damn you…"

---

Fourteen days. Fourteen days Hinamori Momo had been lying in acoma.

He remembered the 1st day she was brought in, he was right there with her.

_That was why he couldn't forget…_

_He fisted his palms, closing his eyes. That bastard Aizen, look at what he had done. Had he no heart? How…how could he do that to Momo? His bed-wetter Momo…_

_He shut his watering eyes, it was so unfair, why couldn't she ever be his? _

_He realized long ago, he was far too late looking at how her eyes seemed to sparkle when spoke non-stop of her amazing captain, he was getting the best of her. _

Hitsugaya opened his eyes to stare at her again, now he was losing her again. Her face covered in cotton and bandages couldn't hide the expression of pain.

_He remembered when they would play together, he would make her laugh and even she would be able to make him laugh a little. _

_All those… memories. _

Away innocence. Away childhood.

_Hinamori…this pain you're feeling, it's because of me. And-and it's my fault that I never got the best of you._

Fourteen days he had been coming back here. No conversation. She never talked, so never did he.

He would sit and watch her. Memorize, every black eyelash on her eyelids; every light groove on her pale pink lips, because he never did when he had the chance before.

Today, however, he knelt beside her bed and prayed. It was ironically from Hinamori he had learnt of praying. When they lived together, he would always hear her praying at night, she would tell him to pray too. Of course he had bluntly refused, saying it was stupid putting her faith in something she couldn't even _see_.

But today he prayed, he prayed that someone would bless Hinamori Momo.

His heart beat painfully. _This could be the end of everything…_

And there and then, in front of his best friend, Histugaya Toushirou shattered. He cried, gripping his hair, blaming the world; blaming himself; memories of Momo when they lived in Rukongai;the day he promised her he would always take care of her.

"Please" he sobbed, his hands covering his face "She's all I have…"

The sound of the breathing mask stopping, lifted his shimmering eyes.

She was dying.

---

Hitsugaya felt his heart freeze in its beat. Dizziness drowned him. "No! Please, she's all I have PLEASE!" his voice lowered to a whisper "Take me, but let her live on." Hitsugaya felt his heart wrench harder than he had ever felt before. Then the breathing mask stopped completely.

Toushirou's mind went blank. _It's over…_

His head fell down onto the bed, next to her. He didn't even register that Hinamori was dead. He stared blankly at her limp arm.

Then suddenly, the breathing mask turned on again. Was it his imagination? No, it was…

"H…Hitsugaya?"

Open-mouthed, he looked up. Hinamori Momo looked through half-open eyes at him "Is… it really you?" she weakly asked, her voice soft. "Momo!" he said, trembling, a look of shock dawning on his face. "I wanted to leave, I felt terrible for what I'd done to you." she whispered "But somebody whispered you wouldn't let me go."

Hitsugaya felt he would burst with emotion and before he could compose himself he wrapped himself around her in a frail hug. He was about to let go when he felt thin arms hug him back. "Momo" was all he could say as he pulled away from her, quickly wiping his tear-stained face. "You were crying" she wheezed, trying to laugh. "No I wasn-" he quickly stopped "Yes, yes I was Momo, because I thought you were going to die."

She smiled "Do you love me?" Hitsugaya blushed, and without realizing it, nodded. "Maybe…maybe I love you too, Hitsugaya-taichou." And she blushed. He blushed even more. "But… A-Aizen-kun…" he saw pure fear dawning on her face at her mention of him, she gripped her stomach where a sword had been driven through her many times. Now was his chance. He gently took Hinamori's hand "Momo" he said quietly "I-I think I'm ready to protect you now." And leaning down he gently kissed her warm cheek.

"Arigatou…Shirou-chan."


End file.
